Prosecutors Allege Men Posing as Federal Agents Endangered National Security
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Two defendants recently granted pre-trial release in a federal law enforcement impersonation case now face a federal indictment. Despite the objections of prosecutors, a federal judge ordered the release of Arian Taherzadeh, age 40, and Haider Ali, age 35, on bail and into the custody of their relatives.
The Justice Department has accused the pair of posing as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents over a two-year period, gaining access to law enforcement officials using their false identities, and unlawfully possessing large-capacity firearms. Court documents reveal the men deliberately deceived four U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agents tasked with protecting First Lady Jill Biden, claiming to work for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Taherzadeh and Ali allegedly gifted the USSS agents with iPhones, surveillance systems, drones, generators, and rent-free apartments that cost upwards of $40,000 annually. Last week, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided five properties allegedly leased by the men in the District’s Navy Yard neighborhood. Agents seized a cache of firearms from the pair’s apartment, passport photos, bullet-resistant vests, gas masks, police lights, and law enforcement training manuals.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey instructed the Justice Department to demonstrate that the evidence seized had no legitimate business connection and identify if Taherzadeh and Ali paid for the alleged gifts to the USSS agents or just borrowed as part of the alleged scam. Moreover, Judge Harvey said the government’s initial argument that Ali was a flight risk because he was working for a Pakistani intelligence agency had crumbled once prosecutors disavowed that position, despite Ali’s alleged assertions to the contrary. As far as Judge Harvey is concerned, there is “no reliable evidence of any foreign involvement in this case,” adding that he did not find Ali’s claims that he has ties to Pakistan credible.
The USSS has placed the agents in contact with the men on administrative leave, though the FBI has described them as targets of a clever ploy. Prosecutors are also investigating whether items recovered in the search are government property. If that's the case, Taherzadeh and Ali might have received the cache from the agents as a gift or favor, which creates another possibility of compromise.
In the testimony of one witness, Taherzadeh entered a DHS-labeled laptop using a Private Identity Verification card, and a federal privacy notice appeared when he attempted to log in. Court documents report that a second witness, an agent on the First Lady’s security detail, described how Taherzadeh had displayed the semi-automatic Glock pistol while their agency began to equip people with that weapon. Another witness stated the men offered to provide them with a rifle.
Federal prosecutors have suggested that a conspiracy charge is possible but have not specified a possible motive for the alleged scheme. Unless the Justice Department presents new charges, both men could face zero to six months in prison if convicted.